As if winter wasn’t hard enough on our moods and overall well-being, the cold season can also wreak havoc on asphalt surfaces of all kinds. Even if you typically look forward to spring, the end of winter can provide a nasty wake-up call for property owners everywhere as potholes and other asphalt issues come to light. The freeze and thaw cycles that occur throughout winter create cracks underneath roads, driveways, and parking lots – then, the relentless spring rains make matters worse, resulting in countless cracks and potholes. It’s no wonder why paving and repair contractors see a massive uptick in demand in the springtime. Before hiring contractors, however, it’s important to know what commercial driveway pothole repairs to look for following winter.
Prioritize High-Traffic Areas
Driveways range in shape and size. If you’re dealing with a smaller driveway, it won’t take long to take stock of its overall conditions. Larger driveways, on the other hand, require more effort during examination. The highest-traffic areas (e.g., entrances and exits, turns, etc.) are good places to start. If pothole repair is necessary, you’ll want to make sure these portions are quickly addressed so they don’t get any worse. In the meantime, do your best to block off or signal to drivers and pedestrians of any problems so they can do their best to avoid these gaps – traffic cones come in handy here.
Repair Holes Large Enough for Tires
All cracks and potholes in your driveway should get fixed as soon as possible. That said, some openings are more detrimental than others. Most vehicles can drive over minor cracks and holes without issue, but holes that are large enough to fit an entire tire can damage vehicles, impair one’s driving, put pedestrians at serious risk, and cause other problems. If your time and budget are limited in regard to driveway pothole repair, then make sure to address these larger potholes first.
The Deeper and Wider the Pothole, the More Problematic
Your driveway might be riddled with potholes of varying sizes – some may even be much larger than a single tire in width. A pothole’s depth must also be taken into consideration, as deeper potholes indicate more serious problems to come (they also put people at greater risk of injury). Get in touch with a reliable concrete pavement repair company to get accurate readings on the depth and width of these potholes so you stay in the know. From there, these contractors can get to work on filling the most problematic potholes to ensure everyone’s safety and bolster the integrity of your driveway.
Where There’s One Pothole, There May Be More
Flowers aren’t the only things that appear and propagate in the spring. Indeed, potholes can seem to run just as rampant as plant life after winter. This makes sense, considering how cracks and holes form in driveways and other asphalt surfaces – if one area of your driveway is weakened, the areas around it gradually lose their integrity, too. Before long, a single crack can branch off into several, eventually forming one pothole and then some. If your driveway features more than a few potholes, it might be worth repairing and/or repaving the entire surface. A reputable commercial paving company can help you determine the most cost-effective way to fix the holes and cracks in your driveway, whether that means tackling one at a time or performing a more comprehensive restoration.
When winter’s over, you’ll notice several more potholes in your area (those who’ve lived in New England for a year or more know this well). Some of these potholes might appear on your own property. If so, Cassidy Paving is here to help you properly and efficiently address these concerns. Call us today at 866-978-9788 for a free estimate on your next asphalt project.